[Nextgrid]

The problem here is that these companies can abuse the DMCA to get the app outlawed and pulled from the major app stores. In fact, Apple already doesn't allow you to publish any app that interacts with any reasonably big third-party service or device without the explicit approval of the service (that's how alternative YouTube clients disappeared on iOS), even for devices such as smart light bulbs that are explicitly designed to be controlled via the local network without any authentication: https://community.lifx.com/t/app-store-rejection-permission-...

[matheusmoreira]

Apple devices aren't free computer systems. Apple owns the devices, not the users. They gave up their freedom when they bought a computer that doesn't give them the keys to the system. They have little choice other than to accept whatever conditions the big corporations impose on them.

Thankfully, iOS does not represent all systems out there. Android systems allow installation of apps from any source and PCs traditionally have no limitations on which programs can be executed by the user. Better alternatives to these abusive "official" apps should be a selling point for these free systems. A perfect example of adversarial interoperability:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/adversarial-interopera...